When attempting to spawn a subagent using sessions_spawn, the tool immediately errors with:
{
"status": "error",
"error": "gateway closed (1008): pairing required\nGateway target: ws://172.18.0.2:18789\nSource: local lan 172.18.0.2\nConfig: /home/node/.openclaw/openclaw.json\nBind: lan",
"childSessionKey": "agent:outbound-architect:subagent:",
"runId": ""
}
Expected behavior:
Internal subagents should auto-authenticate and spawn successfully without requiring device pairing.
Actual behavior:
Gateway treats internal subagent connections as external devices requiring pairing approval, blocking subagent execution.
Environment:

OpenClaw version: v2026.2.6 (latest)
Node.js: v22.22.0
OS: Linux (Docker container)
Runtime: Docker on VPN-connected host
Configuration:

"agents": {
"defaults": {
"subagents": {
"maxConcurrent": 8
}
},
"list": [
{
"id": "main",
"subagents": {
"allowAgents": ["*"]
}
}
]
}
Reproduction:

Configure main agent with allowAgents: ["*"]
Call sessions_spawn with agentId: "outbound-architect"
Error occurs immediately
Workaround:

None found. Falling back to single-agent execution.